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MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. --- It's not many people that can say their job is a lifesaver but for Mount Kisco resident
Carinne Mossa
, it's the truth.

Mossa, a Stella & Dot independent stylist, said the community of women she's met through selling jewelry has been instrumental in helping her both retain her ties to the professional world while also raising two kids under five.

The Mount Kisco resident (who previously lived in Norwalk) had left her job teaching fourth grade at Weston Intermediate School to care for her son who, at one-year-old, was diagnosed with a devastating seizure disorder called Dravet Syndrome.

"Stella & Dot is all about empowering women and giving them the means to 'style their own lives,'" she said.

"The flexibility of being an independent business owner has been the glue that helped me keep it all together during this difficult chapter."

It's been four and a half years since she joined the company and she said she's gotten more out of this "side gig" than she could have ever imagined.

"I have truly found 'my tribe' and that has been crucial on the tough days that come along with having a child with any kind of medical condition," she said.

"That, and I am able to pay for all of our family's extras including pre-school for our daughter, dance classes, doctors for our son and Christmas all on my own with the commissions I earn. Plus, I'm having a blast!"

On any given day you can find her at a trunk show, styling ladies with accessories, enjoying wine (the trunk shows usually involve in-house parties) or simply spending the day with her kids.

Most of her business comes from Fairfield County but she's hoping to expand her New York reach.

"The mission of Stella & Dot is to give every woman the means to style her own life and I am doing just that," said Mossa.

"I've been able to juggle my son's therapies, doctor appointments, hospital stays--as well as the addition of our daughter three years ago--in style and on my own terms."

She said she also feels empowered by her business in that she can give back to causes that are important to her. That said, she holds four "Fundraiser Trunk Shows" each year and was able to donate $1,000's last year to special causes including F.A.C.E.S. (Finding a Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures).